TGM Take on Rapid Address System from Imaje to Beat the Deadline

"Direct mail is a high pressure business," asserts Yvette Bishop, managing director of Stevenage based TGM Mailing Services. "When designers, printers, publishers and clients have pushed the programme to the limit, we pull out all the stops to finish the job and ship it on time." Thankfully, Yvette has a secret weapon, a Windows-based Messajer 200 industrial line controller from Imaje. Used with the Imaje Mailjet addressing system, the Messajer controls database and line operations to give high speed addressing with facilities for greater personalisation.

TGM specialise in subscription magazine and trade mailings. The company started in 1999 and has grown quickly by providing a total commitment to service. Early in 2000, they began the search for a rapid addressing solution that would integrate with both polywrap and envelope printing. The recommendation of another mailing house led them to Imaje. Within 24 hours of the enquiry, they had a visit from Imaje and within a week, an Imaje addressing system was on trial.

The Mailjet continuous inkjet printer at TGM is linked to a Norpak Polyprocessor. The system can reliably print addresses on mailings of 1000 to 150,000 pieces at speeds up to 20,000 pieces per hour. Currently, TGM are running around 9000 items per hour so there is capacity to cope with increases in demand. TGM have invested in adaptations to the polywrapper enabling them to pack items as large as complete broadsheet newspapers.

"The Mailjet has proven to be 100 per cent reliable in high speed addressing," says Yvette - this is vital given the high-pressure nature of the business. Up to now, the system has been used for simple addressing using a small range of standard fonts.

By adding the Messajer 200 line controller, TGM have greatly expanded their production capability. With its Windows software interface, database management and line control facilities the Messajer speeds up the production process.

The Messajer 200 efficiently prepares and manages databases, accepting imported data from different sources including Excel and Access. This allows operations such as merging, purging and de-duping by selecting relevant fields while also optimising the process by batching. This latter feature is very useful for mail sorting to maximise Royal Mail discounts.

Advanced graphic layout facilities allow the line manager to compose on screen a WYSIWYG image of the envelope or wrapper. The system can accept inputs from the complete suite of Windows-based graphic software, providing access to a vast library of fonts and allowing complex graphics to be imported. This latter facility can save costs and stockholding by allowing customised graphics to be printed on plain polywrap or envelopes.

Importantly, the Messajer opens up new possibilities to customise mailings. The system controls upstream folding and inserting, enabling variable inserts to be included in each package. This ensures the mail piece is more relevant to the recipient while also saving the cost of redundant print. Line operations are also continuously monitored to avoid downtime. For example, inset usage is tracked to avoid run out.

"Imaje was not the first addressing system we had on trial, nor was it the most expensive we looked at. However, in intensive use the Mailjet addressing systems and Imaje technical back up have not let us down. We are pleased they have continued the development process and are able to offer the Messajer 200 line controller that adds even more value to our service," Yvette concluded.